Martin Wittfooth transposes the temperament we typically associate with large animals to those much smaller, painting foxes and birds as the heroic victors of this works while making larger animals much more passive and calm. Each of his paintings feature these creatures in environments that deviate from the peaceful surrounding we would expect—trash and decay littering the the ground while smog fills the sky.

“As a species we share a pretty significant degree of similar reactions to the natural world: there are forms in nature that we seem to have innate responses to,” said Wittfooth in an interview with beinArt. “Like a sense of awe or respect for large mammals, and revulsion for spiders and snakes. I’m interested in this kind of shared pattern recognition and instinctive responses. I’m pretty invested in trying to imbue my paintings with some sense of ‘presence’ and hence am working with subject matter that can impart an emotional reading of it, not just a rational (strictly observing) analysis.”

The Brooklyn-based painter’s work is included with 27 other artists fascinated with the wild form in the new book Juxtapoz Wild. You can see more of Wittfooth’s work on his Facebook page here. (via Juxtapoz)